The Lytro Illum Is Where Light Field Technology Meets Real Photography

Interesting revision of this Lytro technology. Reminds me a little bit of the Black Magic Cinema camera with it’s funny shaped body design. I remember the initial breathless reports about how earth-shaking this multi-lens camera was going to be. After that, never saw a shipping product or an actual review per se. I think maybe some samples were given to individuals who said it was cool you could set the depth of field after the picture was taken, or pull the subject into focus if it was initially shot out of focus.

It reminds me in some ways of Carver Mead’s attempt to design a 3 layer cmos sensor that was light sensitive to all the wave lengths as you down through each layer. It was in essence a panchromatic sensor that did not require a micro light filter grid be bonded to the front surface (like all sensors today). That camera never really caught on either. It was extremely over-priced for the amount of resolution capable on the sensor. One conclusion you can make from this is not all good ideas make good workable cameras. We’ll see how Lytro Illum changes the equation, but I suspect it’s still a tough row to hoe.